logo
NuScale Wins US Approval for Small Nuclear Reactor Design

NuScale Wins US Approval for Small Nuclear Reactor Design

Bloomberg29-05-2025

NuScale Power Corp. has won US approval for a small nuclear reactor design.
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave the green light to the company's 77-megawatt reactor design, according to a statement Thursday. The Portland, Oregon-based company won similar approval in 2020 for a smaller, 60-megawatt version of the reactor, a first for the industry.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Russia's former president says countries are lining up to give Iran their nukes. Analysts are calling his bluff.
Russia's former president says countries are lining up to give Iran their nukes. Analysts are calling his bluff.

Yahoo

time19 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Russia's former president says countries are lining up to give Iran their nukes. Analysts are calling his bluff.

A top Putin aide and Russia's former president slammed the US for its strikes on Iran's nuclear site. Among other claims, Dmitry Medvedev said other countries are ready to give their nukes to Iran. Nuclear analysts told BI that Medvedev's claim is logistically and politically ridiculous. Analysts are casting doubt on Russia's former president's claim that "a number of countries" were considering supplying nuclear warheads to Iran after the Pentagon's salvo of bunker-buster strikes there. Dmitry Medvedev, who was president from 2008 to 2012 and is a top aide to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, didn't specify which countries he was referring to in his Telegram post on Sunday. In his post, he downplayed the damage dealt to Iran's vital nuclear sites. As news of the strikes broke on Saturday, the Pentagon was careful to say that it was still assessing the destruction caused by the 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs and multiple Tomahawk missiles it fired at Iran's nuclear sites. Medvedev wrote that the strikes had "entangled" the US in a new conflict. "A number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads," he added. Nuclear weapons analysts speaking to Business Insider said they doubted that Medvedev's statement on such transfers is credible. "It's impossible in practice because nuclear weapons are not like a bomb or just something you can carry in a suitcase," said Pavel Podvig, a senior researcher in the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research's weapons of mass destruction program. Nuclear warheads come as an entire system, with people who need to be trained to keep and service them safely, as well as maintenance facilities and equipment. Even tactical nukes, which are more portable and produce a smaller blast, need high-level storage, Podvig added. "Unless you create a nuclear program or almost a nuclear program in the country, there is no way to just give your nuclear weapons to them," he said. Simply giving such a warhead to another country would break the first article of the UN's Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which Russia and China have signed. Podvig said that in Europe, where the US stations nuclear weapons, the warheads are in American custody. The same can be said of Russia's nuclear weapons in Belarus. "I don't see this being done technically," Podvig said. Politically, Medvedev could likely only be referring to three countries, said Adam Lowther, a cofounder and the vice president of research at the Ohio-registered think tank National Institute for Deterrence Studies. North Korea, China, and Russia are the only nuclear-armed states considered adversaries or rivals to the US. And Lowther said all three know that supplying Iran with nuclear weapons, even just as a deterrent, would risk intense escalation from the US and Israel. "When you give somebody a nuclear weapon, and they can use it, you can't guarantee how they're going to use it," Lowther said. He added that with Tel Aviv and Washington so focused on preventing Iran from fielding nuclear weapons, Tehran would likely only have two choices if it does receive a warhead: Use the bomb or lose it. And if Iran detonates a gifted nuke, Lowther added, American forensics would easily be able to trace the fissile material and bomb design to identify where the weapon originated. "Then that country would be on the US' hit list," Lowther said. Medvedev is known to make bold, hawkish statements toward Ukraine and the US since the outset of the full-scale Russian invasion. He serves as the deputy chairman — second in rank to Putin — of the Kremlin's security council. His rhetoric has often run parallel to the Kremlin's nuclear threats, repeatedly issued as warnings to the West over military aid to Ukraine. Moscow, however, has consistently not followed through with those threats, even when the US escalated its level of assistance to Kyiv. Lowther said he believes Medvedev's statement was a play against Ukraine, a bid to reduce the West's willingness to help Kyiv. "The Russians say: 'You know what? You give the Ukrainians these weapons? Well, we can give the Iranians weapons as well,'" he said. The Israel Defense Forces declined to comment on Medvedev's remarks. The White House and US State Department did not respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours by BI. Read the original article on Business Insider

Who can vote in Broome County primary election? When, where polls are open
Who can vote in Broome County primary election? When, where polls are open

Yahoo

time20 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Who can vote in Broome County primary election? When, where polls are open

Broome County Republicans will have the chance to vote to appoint five nominees for local government positions in late June. This year, only Republican primary elections will take place in Broome County, and only registered Republican voters in designated towns are eligible to vote, with no other parties holding primary elections within Broome County. Voters will have the chance to decide their party's nominee for Broome County clerk, Windsor town council member, Windsor town justice and two Johnson City trustees. The winners of each primary race will become the Republican nominees in the general election in November. Here is everything you need to know about how to vote on Primary Election Day. More: Here are the Broome County primary candidates on the ballot June 24 Voting will take place on Tuesday, June 24, when polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Primary election poll sites in Broome County include: Holy Spirit Byzantine Catholic Church Recreation Center, 358 Clinton St., Binghamton. Broome County Public Library Decker Room, 185 Court St., Binghamton. American Legion Post 1645, 177 Robinson St., Binghamton. St. Patrick's Parish Center Lobby, 58 Oak St., Binghamton. Unitarian Universalist Church of Binghamton, 183 Riverside Drive, Binghamton. St. John & St. Andrew Church Parish, 1263 Vestal Ave., Binghamton. Conklin Ave First Baptist Church, 91 Baldwin St., Binghamton. Barker Town Office Building, 151 Hyde St., Barker. Binghamton Town Hall, 279 Upper Park Ave, Binghamton. Chenango Fire Station #1, 86 Castle Creek Road, Chenango. Chenango Bridge First United Methodist, lower rear entrance, 740 River Road, Chenango. Colesville Town Hall, 780 Welton St., Colesville. Floyd Maines Community Center, 942 Conklin Road, Conklin. Cornell Cooperative Extension Taste NY Building, 840 Upper Front St., Dickinson. Fenton Town Hall, 44 Park St., Fenton. Kirkwood Town Hall, 70 Crescent Drive, Kirkwood. Lisle Fire Station #1, 9090 state Route 79, Lisle. Most Holy Rosary Church, 2596 Main St., Maine. Glen Aubrey Fire Company, 32 Octagon St., Nanticoke. Sanford Town Hall, 91 Second St., Sanford. Triangle Town Hall, 2612 Liberty St., Triangle. Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 594 Kent St., Windsor. George F. Johnson Memorial Library, 1001 Park St., Endicott. St. Anthony of Padua Church, 300 Odell Ave., Endicott. Calvary Community Wesleyan Church, 780 Harry L Drive, Johnson City. Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church, 230 Ukrainian Hill Road, Johnson City. Primitive Methodist Church, 4 Ackley Ave., Johnson City. West Corners Fire Station, 500 Day Hollow Road, Endicott. Union Center Fire Station #1, 1811 state Route 26, Union Center. Our Savior Lutheran Church, 731 Hooper Road, Endwell. Endwell United Methodist Church, 3301 Watson Blvd., Endwell. Endwell Fire Station #1, 3508 Country Club Road, Endwell. Vestal Town Hall, board room, 605 Vestal Parkway West, Vestal. Vestal Public Library, 320 Vestal Parkway East, Vestal. Vestal Fire Station #4, 118 S Jensen Road, Vestal. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 305 Murray Hill Road, Vestal. Our Lady of Sorrows Church, 801 Main St., Vestal. Vestal Fire Station #2, 2513 state Route 26 South, Vestal Center. Find your election district online at This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Broome County Primary Election voter guide: When, where to vote

Should You Buy Gold After Its 60% Increase in Value? Here's What Warren Buffett Has to Say About It.
Should You Buy Gold After Its 60% Increase in Value? Here's What Warren Buffett Has to Say About It.

Yahoo

time20 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Should You Buy Gold After Its 60% Increase in Value? Here's What Warren Buffett Has to Say About It.

The value of gold has soared more than 60% since the start of 2024, outpacing the S&P 500. With a weakening dollar and shaky political environment, gold still looks appealing at this price. Buffett and Munger suggest an even better asset for capital preservation. 10 stocks we like better than Berkshire Hathaway › The value of gold has increased faster than both stocks and bonds since the start of 2024 as growing uncertainty has led investors to seek safe havens. Despite the strong performance of the asset, many still feel it could be a great investment today, considering the world's political environment looks just as shaky as ever. But if you ask Warren Buffett if you should invest in gold, the answer is a clear and resounding "No." Analysts at J.P. Morgan disagree. Despite gold climbing about 60% in the last 18 months, they see the precious metal rising another 25% in value through the end of 2026, reaching $4,250 per ounce. But over the long run, there are some very good reasons why the asset will likely underperform stocks. Here's what Buffett thinks about gold, and how long-term investors can easily outperform it. The investment case for gold is that it's a hedge against inflation. If the dollar declines in value (as it has in recent months) the value of gold will increase relative to the dollar. That's because gold is rare. While gold mining companies are constantly digging it out of the ground, the process isn't cheap or easy. Buffett suggests there are much better ways to maintain the value of your dollars. "Gold would be way down on my list as a store of value," he told investors at Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B) 2005 annual shareholder meeting. "I would much prefer owning a hundred acres of land here in Nebraska, or an apartment house, or an index fund." Charlie Munger, Berkshire Hathaway's longtime vice chairman and Buffett's friend, was much more blunt. "Gold is a dumb investment," he told the audience. Both of their points were that there are better opportunities, specifically assets that they would call "productive." That is, they have some level of utility beyond looking shiny, being highly conductive, and never corroding (which can be great for jewelry and electronics, but not much else). An ounce of gold will still be an ounce of gold in 100 years. An acre of farmland will still be an acre of land in 100 years. The difference, Buffett says, is that you got to use the land to grow crops and generate income during those 100 years while your ounce of gold probably just sat in a safe somewhere. A good business, like a farm, can protect against inflation because the value of what it produces won't change substantially. As such, in times of inflation, the price of its produce will increase, and the value of the asset will increase as well. Better yet, if you take the income from the asset and reinvest it in expanding (buying more farmland, adding another apartment, finding a new business to start or invest in), you can grow your wealth dramatically. Berkshire Hathaway itself may be the ultimate example. When Buffett took over Berkshire Hathaway in 1965, gold was worth about $35 per ounce. It's increased nearly 100-fold in the 60 years since. Berkshire Hathaway, on the other hand, is up about 58,664-fold. Buffett's advice for average investors is straightforward and simple. The best investment for the average individual is an index fund like the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO). While Buffett points out examples like farmland or apartments, those investments require management to be truly productive. He personally prefers to invest in individual companies. But those require attention as well, even if every publicly traded company has a board of directors and management in place already. If you want returns better than the market average, you'll have to do a lot of work. Even then, the best and brightest minds on Wall Street still struggle most of the time. So, for most people, a passive investment style where you simply buy and hold an index fund works best. A person who consistently adds money saved from their earnings to an index fund portfolio that produces average returns can end up with a level of wealth that's well above average. There's no need to diversify with other asset classes for long-term investors who can weather the ups and downs of the stock market. Even if you agree with J.P. Morgan's analysts that gold will continue to run higher through the end of next year, it's highly unlikely an unproductive asset outperforms a portfolio of productive assets over the long run. Those looking to tame the volatility of stocks may do better with government bonds. Buffett certainly thinks it's a better place to park cash than gold while he looks for Berkshire's next big stock purchase. Before you buy stock in Berkshire Hathaway, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Berkshire Hathaway wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $664,089!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $881,731!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 994% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Adam Levy has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway, JPMorgan Chase, and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Should You Buy Gold After Its 60% Increase in Value? Here's What Warren Buffett Has to Say About It. was originally published by The Motley Fool

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store